Healing between encounters

[BobTheNob]

I was hoping for some clarification on how to handle healing between encounters. The rules say that players may spend healing surges during a short rest, and that they regain powers. Our party cleric argues that means they can opt to NOT spend healing surges and therefore wait until the cleric regains his healing words and spend them thusly, then short rest again, re-gain healing word yada yada, making the healing process astronomicly more efficient.

I never interpreted the rules that way because, as far as I am concerned, characters wouldnt opt NOT to spend healing surges after combat whilst they wait for the cleric to regain his healing words. (What, do they stay in a state of combat readiness just because of a rule glitch?)

The other thing is, I interpreted an *encounter* power as being applicable to an encounter. So, if there is not encounter, how can there be the use and re-use of encounter powers...

Hoping to get feedback from other GM's on how they handle

 

[Kordeth]

Yes, this is entirely legal, acceptable, and encouraged. Encounter powers recharge after a short rest, you don't have to be in an encounter to use them.

 

[Nebulous]

I was hoping for some clarification on how to handle healing between encounters. The rules say that players may spend healing surges during a short rest, and that they regain powers. Our party cleric argues that means they can opt to NOT spend healing surges and therefore wait until the cleric regains his healing words and spend them thusly, then short rest again, re-gain healing word yada yada, making the healing process astronomicly more efficient.

I never interpreted the rules that way because, as far as I am concerned, characters wouldnt opt NOT to spend healing surges after combat whilst they wait for the cleric to regain his healing words. (What, do they stay in a state of combat readiness just because of a rule glitch?)

The other thing is, I interpreted an *encounter* power as being applicable to an encounter. So, if there is not encounter, how can there be the use and re-use of encounter powers...

Hoping to get feedback from other GM's on how they handle

Your cleric is wrong. Encounters count as "fights" or "skill challenges" or something else applicable as decided by the DM, but generally just those two things. You can't sit there idly and keep adding the extra healing from Healing Surges. Although if you end up waiting 6 hours you get all surges back anyway. I'm not quite sure what angle your player is taking, sounds like he's trying to argue for a loophole that doesn't exist.

 

[Smeelbo]

Our party cleric argues that means they can opt to NOT spend healing surges and therefore wait until the cleric regains his healing words and spend them thusly, then short rest again, re-gain healing word yada yada, making the healing process astronomicly more efficient.

That particular "abuse" had not occured to me before. So basicly, they are taking one short rest for each couple surges used?

You can take as many short rests per day as you want....After a short rest, you renew your encounter powers....If you use an encounter power (such as a healing power) during a short rest, you need to take another short rest to renew it so you can use it again.

Seems pretty cut-and-dried to me, it is even used as an example.

As for me, I think it is important to keep the pressure up, to give the party an incentive to "beat the clock." So perhaps multiple short rests give their enemies more time to prepare, set up, gather allies, spy on the party, and so on. It places a greater burden on the DM to keep track of time in terms of short rests.

Smeelbo

 

[Nebulous]

Yes, this is entirely legal, acceptable, and encouraged. Encounter powers recharge after a short rest, you don't have to be in an encounter to use them.

Ok, maybe i'm wrong, but are you saying that if the party rests for 1 hour, 60 minutes, and effectively takes twelve 5-minutes rests in a row, the cleric recharges his Healing Word 12 times, and over the space of 1 hour, can cast Healing Word 24 times?

Per the power:

Special: You can use this power twice per encounter, but only once per round. At 16th level, you can use this power three times per encounter.
Target: You or one ally
Effect: The target can spend a healing surge and regain an additional 1d6 hit points.


Sounds to me like it's tied entirely into the encounter, not before or after. It's designed to really help a player out in the heat of combat.

 

[BobTheNob]

Yes, this is entirely legal, acceptable, and encouraged. Encounter powers recharge after a short rest, you don't have to be in an encounter to use them.

Really? Then Im confused, because I saw a preview of the bard class coming in the PHB2. He gets a healing word type spell. On top of that, he also has a feature that sais he can inspire his comrades via song and add his charisma (I think...its one of the stats) to everyones healing surge value outside of combat. Why would he ever use this ability when he can spam his healing word to grant extra d6 dice.

If it was the designers intention that encounter healing abilities to be spammed whilst resting, then this new design feature for the bard is the single most useless ability ever in the histroy of game design.

So when you say it is entirely legal and intended, how did you come to that conclusion? Are you a 4th edition game designer?

 

[Nebulous]

I really, really think Healing Word can only be used during an encounter, like it says in the power description. You can't use it while "resting".

 

[Smeelbo]

So when you say it is entirely legal and intended, how did you come to that conclusion? Are you a 4th edition game designer?

See Player's Handbook, page 263, as posted above. Using multiple short rests to use encounter healing powers is given as a specific example.

PHB62 lists Healing Word as an encounter power.

Seems pretty airtight to me.

Smeelbo

 

[Mistwell]

I really, really think Healing Word can only be used during an encounter, like it says in the power description. You can't use it while "resting".

I am not sure what additional language the authors of the PHB could have included to persuade you that you can use a healing power during a short rest. It's called out specifically.

"Using Powers while You Rest: If you use an encounter power (such as a healing power) during a short rest, you need another short rest to renew it so that you can use it again"

 

[Kordeth]

Really? Then Im confused, because I saw a preview of the bard class coming in the PHB2. He gets a healing word type spell. On top of that, he also has a feature that sais he can inspire his comrades via song and add his charisma (I think...its one of the stats) to everyones healing surge value outside of combat. Why would he ever use this ability when he can spam his healing word to grant extra d6 dice.

Because using that ability doesn't take extra resting time? And because the bard's Charisma bonus is likely to be higher than the statistical average of a d6?

If it was the designers intention that encounter healing abilities to be spammed whilst resting, then this new design feature for the bard is the single most useless ability ever in the histroy of game design.

Except that it's not.

So when you say it is entirely legal and intended, how did you come to that conclusion? Are you a 4th edition game designer?

1) The PHB itself explicitly calls this out as a valid example of using encounter powers between encounters, as Smeelbo said.

2) This question has been asked roughly a thousand times since 4E came out. Customer Service answers and posts by the development team have all said that not only is the ability to use healing word outside combat within the realm of the rules, it was anticipated and expected by the design team.